Author: Megan Stroech

In this second part of our Spring Recipe Series with Paige Adams from Last Ingredient Blog, Paige shares recipes for three infused waters. These waters are quick, easy + super refreshing. Here’s Paige with the recipes:

Infused Waters

I think it’s safe to say that flavored water is officially a thing. While I can’t refuse bottled or canned infused water, it could not be easier to make your own. Then you don’t have wonder what the mysterious “natural flavor” listed on the label actually means. A bonus of making your own infused water is how beautiful the colorful ingredients look floating in their pitchers. (Shop Cylinder Pitcher )

Fresh fruit, veggies, herbs and spices are all fair game. Don’t be shy about experimenting with different combinations. I added sliced jalapenos to cucumber lemon water to give it some heat. If you want stronger flavor, muddle the ingredients and let them infuse longer. You can even add a splash of vodka or gin or freeze the water into ice cubes and add them to drinks later.

Blueberries + Blackberries + Mint + Lime

1 cup blueberries

1/2 cup blackberries

1 small handful mint leaves

1 lime, thinly sliced

Grapefruit + Raspberries + Rosemary

1/2 grapefruit, thinly sliced

1 cup raspberries

3 sprigs rosemary

Cucumbers + Jalapenos + Cilantro + Lemon

1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced

1 jalapeno, thinly sliced

1 small handful cilantro leaves

1 lemon, thinly sliced

Place the ingredients for each infused water in a pitcher. For stronger flavor, gently muddle everything. Fill the pitcher with cold still or sparkling water. Let the water infuse for at least 30 minutes up to 2 hours.

(Shop Epicurean Cutting Board)

Get more recipes from Last Ingredient Blog

We recently ventured over to Last Ingredient Blog founder, Paige Adams’ Wicker Park kitchen to cook up some yummy recipes with our cookware for Spring. In this three-part blog series, Paige takes over and guides us through preparing spring salads, cooking for Easter + infused waters.

Without further ado, here’s Paige:

Spring Salads

After a winter filled with hearty meals and comfort food, I get very excited about spring produce and especially salads. What better way to show off delicate fruits and veggies than keeping things seasonal and simple? For a fresh and easy from-scratch lunch or dinner for friends, I like to serve a variety of salads, each with a different base—baby greens, grains and even toasted bread.

What makes salads satisfying is using a mix of flavors and textures from the salty & sweet combination of strawberries and smoked almonds in a spinach salad to crunchy croutons and creamy cannellini beans in a spring panzanella to crisp green beans and radishes in a bowl of fluffy quinoa. Go light when dressing the salads. You can always add more or serve extra vinaigrette in a small bowl.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Serves 4

1 shallot, minced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

5 ounces baby spinach

1-1/2 cups quartered strawberries

1/2 small onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

1/4 cup chopped smoked almonds

In a large bowl, whisk together the shallots, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper followed by the olive oil until fully combined. Tip the bowl around to coat the inside and pour the excess into a small bowl.

Toss together the spinach, strawberries, onions, goat cheese and smoked almonds in the large bowl. Add more vinaigrette as desired.

Spring Panzanella Salad

Serves 4

1/2 loaf crusty country bread (about 6 ounces)

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1-15 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

3 cups baby arugula

1/4 cup grated Parmesan plus shavings for serving

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the bread into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Tear the slices into rough pieces and place on a sheet pan. Toss the bread with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bake the bread until it toasted and deep golden brown, about 15 minutes, stirring halfway through baking.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and remaining salt, pepper and olive oil until fully combined.

In a large bowl, toss together the bread, beans, arugula, grated Parmesan and vinaigrette. Top with shaved Parmesan before serving. (shop Epicurean Slate Utensils + Merchant White Bowls)

Quinoa Salad with Green Beans, Peas & Radishes

Serves 4

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

2 cups water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 pound green beans trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

3/4 cup fresh or frozen peas

1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes

2 scallions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons minced chives

Combine the quinoa and water in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 12-15 minutes until the quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and transfer to a large bowl. (shop Epicurean Slate Cutting Board)

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper and olive oil. (shop the Knob Spice Grinder)

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Cook the green beans and peas until bright green but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a bowl of ice water. After a few minutes, drain and stir the greens beans and peas into the quinoa followed by the radishes, scallions, chives and vinaigrette. (shop the Falcon Prep Set)

Full list of Unison cookware used:

Epicurean Cutting Board

Eve Chrome Salad Servers

Merchant White Bowls

Epicurean Cutting Board

Epicurean Slate Utensils

Knob Spice Grinder

Thanks Paige! Stay tuned for more fresh recipes for spring, and check out more on her blog: Last Ingredient

Spring is on it’s way. Birds are chirping, the sun’s up just a little bit longer each day and the urge to get some green in your home is on high. Don’t have the greenest of thumbs? No worries!

We partnered with Fleur, a local florist + plant shop to get the low-down on best practices for planting indoor foliage and succulents, using our Eden Terrarium and Arc Planters.

Follow along to get expert tips from Jennifer Page at Fleur and watch our video for a step-by-step terrarium planting tutorial.

1. Choose your pot. Add a layer of rocks to the bottom of planter, this provides an area of drainage for excess water to collect at the bottom of the soil level.

2. Start by adding a layer of soil, periodically gently patting down the soil to get rid of any air pockets. Try not compress the soil too much, ensuring that the roots are comfortable and not too compacted.

3. Once you’ve filled the planter about 3/4 of the way full, start prepping your plant to be added to the fresh soil. Begin by loosening up the root ball of the plant by gently breaking apart the roots, this allows the roots some room to breath after being in a grower’s pot.

4. Put the plant into the soil, and begin to fill in more soil around the sides and on top of the roots, remembering to gently pat the soil down to fill in any air pockets.

5. Finish filling in soil around your plant and take a step back, you did it!

Now that you’ve mastered planting indoor foliage, step up your green thumb game and take a on a terrarium! Watch our step-by-step video with Fleur Chicago:

Special thanks to Fleur + Potluck Creative